Powerpoint® presentations in training programs are ubiquitous as the proverbial energizers. The use of Powerpoint® is so pervasive that it is accepted as "THE way" to deliver a lecture in the classroom, that without it, the lecturer is deemed ill-prepared. But quite often, a resource person’s lecture is actually dictated by his own Powerpoint® presentation, eventually leading to the lecture's "death by Powerpoint®". (This term first appeared in the web in 2001; coined by Angela R. Garber.) This is the traditional linear presentation. Of course they can be useful in transmitting a fixed message, but they do have limitations. Most obvious of these is when the whole message must be presented even if some in the audience already know most of the content.

So make it non-linear then. I am glad that ATI-CAR joined me in this belief, when eventually, the presenter no longer just “gives a one-way presentation,” but “have a conversation” with an audience that is dynamic.

Non-linear Powerpoint® presentations "engage the user [lecturer] by allowing him/her to control how the presentation is viewed and in what order" (from Guides and Tutorials.com). It is not really a new topic, but just something not common when one stands beside his Powerpoint®. There are two methods that can accomplish this – one is already built-in Powerpoint®, the other is an add-on to Powerpoint®. (These shall be subjects of my future blog posts.) In both methods, it is possible to skip any slide that is dispensable and even move directly between slides that are not sequential.

I am posting here some of my templates. Click on the image to download the compressed file.